


Hotpot

by dracoon



Category: Psychopath Diary (TV)
Genre: Gen, Multi, Other, even the sad murderer who talks to plants, everyone has hotpot, fluff only in this house, it's all chill here, local man far too nice for his own good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:01:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22386112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoon/pseuds/dracoon
Summary: Yook Dongshik loves his family a lot, but hotpots are way too much work for his poor frazzled writer's soul to handle right now. He needs somewhere quiet for reunion dinners.Seo Inwoo confesses he's never had hotpot outside of work. He's not had family for reunions, exceptmaybe the plants he lives with.Shim Bokyung knows hotpot with her father won't ever be the same again. She aches for something that would make her feel the magic of reunion that isn't looking at her father struggle.A oneshot for the Lunar New Year featuring our three maladjusted friends, and unique epilogue for Living Spirit.
Relationships: Seo Inwoo/Yook Dongshik/Shim Bokyung
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Hotpot

Yook Dongshik found himself hiding in his study when the family had more and more friends over for hotpot, so many that they filled up most of the restaurant. He didn't like the questions that came from the reunion dinners, especially things about his writing and how much headway he'd made.

After the fifth question about whether he was about to continue Psychopath Diary, he had bade Chilsung goodbye and faded away to the comfort of his room to drown in agony about his writer's block. He really wasn't being overdramatic about matters. He loved his father siblings and everyone in the chicken shop. It was just so suffocating after years and years of them dismissing him as just the pushover that'll amount to nothing, and suddenly they all wanted to know how he'd been after his yearlong ordeal grappling with a serial murderer. 

Dongshik turned on the TV, about to huddle and start watching a Lunar New Year's special when he picked up a call, peering out from his apartment room to see the woman waving at him. "Hey! Let me upstairs?" she cupped her hands in a shout, and Dongshik unlocked the door before returning to hugging his Whimsicott cushion and waiting for her. 

* * *

Bokyung had returned from her stint at the nursing home, trying to eat hotpot with her father. They had nothing to say, because her father didn't have the vocabulary for it, and it only took fifteen minutes before the older man had to be put to bed. She had cried into the simmering pot of toppings she'd meticulously picked out for him- things he'd used to like and things he could probably still eat now, and through her tears had managed to finish as much as possible until she had no choice but to give the rest to the attendant that was helping her care for her father. 

She had nowhere to go, late as it were, and found herself meandering to Dongshik's family's chicken place again. It was always crowded there, and Bokyung often felt so much warmer visiting him than she did with her father nowadays. To her surprise, she had noticed the light of Dongshik's apartment still turned on. Did Dongshik skip out of celebrations? He really didn't appreciate the lengths his family went for him sometimes. Putting out a call to him, she'd been let upstairs, and they quietly watched a silly romance movie for a while before Dongshik piped up again. 

"Since you're here...want to visit Seo Inwoo-sshi? I think if we're all going to sit in silence, we may as well crash at his apartment," he admitted, and Bokyung sighed, giving a nod, "He's under house arrest, anyway. Not like he would be able to go for any reunions if he wanted to." 

* * *

Inwoo woke up that day and furnished his house once more, draping some ornaments on the plants that were in his house with him. He wasn't the type to celebrate the new year, but Cheonche wanted some cheer in the place, so he'd obliged by twining some red string and small ornaments on a few of the larger plants who tolerated this. Cheonche itself had a little bell on its bud, one it made sure to tinkle regularly to announce its continued existence. 

The Lunar New Year Eve was like any other day to Inwoo, really. His family had never celebrated reunion dinners, and it was only when company functions began that he'd actually had any type of hotpot. Now that he couldn't go anywhere, the pang of loneliness only amplified as he made himself some instant noodles to spend the night with. Cheonche waved at him sadly, tinkling its bell in greeting.

" _No! Eat hotpot!_ " the succulent ensured to scream in his face from its position on the table in front of him while he ate, " _A little hotpot for one! That's what the new year is about! You can't just eat instant noodles! Make hotpot! Don't be lazy!_ "

This was greeted by a passive aggressive slurp of the spicy noodles Inwoo had made, ignoring the plant's request. It was difficult to clean, and who would he even eat it with? What was he going to do, pour some of the soup into Cheonche's soil for nourishment? It was impractical and served no purpose. He may as well eat something that actually made him full. 

* * *

He had finished his noodles when the doorbell rang, and he patted Cheonche gently before stumbling over to open the door. To his surprise, it was Dongshik and Bokyung, both who seemed as happy as he was to see them. Dongshik made a beeline for the fridge, helping himself to some apple juice while Bokyung set items on the table. 

"Chicken and beer. Don't worry, I know it goes off when you drink, so I got you sparkling apple juice instead," she replied idly, pointing to his neck- Inwoo rubbed it and winced at the strap of the shock collar where it still was, before giving her a tired nod, "If we're going to spend the countdown alone, we may as well spend it with people we hate." 

"Last I checked, it was just me," Inwoo chuckled, putting his complaining succulent away on the coffee table, "I don't have any snacks. Unless you want plant pellets, which I don't think is going to be nice for humans." 

Dongshik gave Cheonche a hi-five, watching it tinkle its bell furiously at this. Inwoo brought the food over in plates, setting it down around Cheonche as they all sat cross-legged around the table. Once again, Dongshik flicked the TV on, as though he'd done it a thousand times, and Inwoo lowered the lights of the room to something more comfortable. 

"...do you all have any party games for three?" he asked, and Bokyung flicked her phone out. 

"We could play stupid shit on Jackbox," she admitted and the other two shrugged.

Better than nothing. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Lunar New Year of the Rat! This is a slightly fractured AU of things when it comes to hotpot. 
> 
> Reunion is important and so is fluff!


End file.
